Door control mechanism



1966 s. A. HORNUNG ETAL 3 DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 17, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L2 IO FIG. I LI I4 1 I6 I MOTOR-GENERATOR STARTING CIRCUIT MG L+ L 20 'Sw.

' I 300 POWER CONTROL CIRCUITS E P RA K 3O| l8 l AUTOMATIC DISPAgI'CHING SELECTION CIRCUIT 1 UP AND DOWN SIGNAL DIRECTION RELAY SuA SOA V D NU D0 0 TO w'l RA BOX 26 CAR AND HALL STOPPING CIRCUITS IL 00x U3 28 1&OR I OPEN 0- H fi)-o O-0 I DZ OOOR ZONE IF SEGMENTS FOR OOA E 30 SAFTY EOGE DZ I EACH FLOOR EB H X If PL K L 0 SH {I} DOOR OPEN LIMIT *sR T3} 0 DE 3 17 "5N {I|L *[u 0 DOOR CLOSE LIMIT N2 2 III D. c. SOPPLY-- DOOR OPERATOR 536 P OPENING POWER CIRCUITS DOOR OPERATOR 2 SHUT POWER CIRCUITS 11 SM SDA TOT I j RToTI 4P CTOT I INVENTORS. 9k RTOT2 STEPHEN A. HORNUNG BY PAUL DUCKWALL 111 A TTOR N E Y6.

Filed April 17, 1964 HORNUNG ETAL DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LIO FIG. 3 L20 51 ELECTRONIC TIMER 0(0) (lI7)O 0(3) TD (4)0 -o(|) (2)0 RA OSCILLATE TIME DO EE POTENTIOMETER U OT 51 NORMAL DOOR TIME 4 POTENTIOMETER cIRcuIT 4 48 Qm E PHOTO UNIT AMPLIFIER EE TOT I 1 0-- \,--II-- (IN CAR STA.) {D- CF TOT DO sROoA OT H H J' FIG. 4 60 I III II i I I M I I) 5 E M 76 I m INVENTORS- STEPHEN A. HORNUNG PAUL DUCKWALL 111 i g M OI/ A T'TOR NE Y5.

United States Patent 3,285,369 DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Stephen A. Hornung and Paul Duckwall IH, both of Louisville, Ky., assignors to K. M. White Company, Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed Apr. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 360,558 8 Claims. (Cl. 18752) This invention relates to a door control mechanism and more particularly to a protective device control mechanism particularly suited for elevator doors and operative to prevent the door from squeezing and injuring a person. The control mechanism operates both an optical or radiant energy beam unit and a so called safety edge to assure the prevention of injury to elevator passengers entering or leaving the elevator.

Every automatic elevator normally has a device on the door to prevent the door from heavily striking or squeezing a person between the door and either a cooperating door or the side of the elevator entranceway. Operatorless elevators with automatic doors are frequently provide with both a safety edge and with a photoelectric eye to cause the door or doors to reopen or remain open if these safety devices are operated. An operatorless elevator control system disclosed in US. patent No. 2,854,096 to White et a1. is arranged in this manner.

Other arrangements include a detector in the form of an electronic device that detects the object in front of the leading edge of the door. It is apparent, however, that in any of these systems, continuous operation of the door protective device either by a passenger or by a malfunction of the device in one manner or another can tie up the car.

It has been found that passengers sometimes stand in the way of the doors, preventing them from closing and thereby slowing up the service. Consequently, it is desirable to automatically cut off the photoelectric eye a predetermined length of time after the car has received a signal to start, so that the doors may close. This is also desirable if the doors are standing open due to misalignment of the light source or due to momentary interruption of the beam by smoke. In order to avoid this undue tie up, one system involves what might be called nudging particularly designed for preventing continuous passenger interference with the operation of the doors. However, the obvious disadvantage of this system is that it does not completely insure the safety of a person who for some reason may be caught in the doorway and cannot be forced or nudged completely out of the way.

The present invention provides a novel door control system avoiding the above-mentioned difiiculties, which acts to disable the photoelectric eye a predetermined length of time after the car has received a signal to start, so that the doors may close, but which at the same time assures that an object, in most cases a human being, will never be squeezed in the doorway. The arrangement of the present invention insures the safety of the passengers but at the same time prevents continued interference with door closure which may be occasioned either by an individual or by misalignment of the light source, or interruption of the beam by smoke.

In the present invention if the safety edge should strike a passenger while the doors are closing after a predetermined time, the doors will reopen only a few inches and then begin to reclose, this action being repeated each time the safety edge strikes a passenger. The result is an oscillating action of the door over a distance of a few inches which instead of forcibly driving or nudging a person out of the way only acts to jog 3,285,369 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 him and thus agitate or irritate the individual, so as to discourage him from remaining in the doorway. In effecting this oscillating action of the door the safety edge is disconnected when engaged by a person, that is when the doors receive a signal to reopen, and the safety edge remains disconnected for a fraction of a second after the doors start to shut so that a passenger cannot force the doors to reopen fully by holding his hand against the safety edge. This oscillatory action discourages passengers from standing in the way of the doors but still provides adequate protection from injury.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a novel door control mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a door protection-type control mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety control mechanism for elevator doors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an oscillating type safety door protection system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an elevator door control mechanism in which operation of either a photoelectric beam or a safety edge on the door during a predetermined length of time will act to completely reopen the door. On the other hand, after the predetermined length of time has expired, the system of the present invention acts to disable the photoelectric device. When the photoelectric device is disabled and closure of the door begins, the striking of the safety edge of the door against an object or person causes the door to open only a few inches and then reclose a few inches until the object is again struck or the door completely closed. A restriking of the object causes the door to recycle through a few inches of oscillation, which is repeated each time the object is struck. The door preferably backs off about four inches and then recloses either the same distance or preferably slightly less, i.e. about three inches, before the safety edge is reactivated and the door is able to again back off.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is an electrical diagram showing a portion of the door control circuit of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a portion of the door power control supply circuitry;

FIGURE 3 is a circuit diagram showing a portion of the door signal excitation circuit; and

FIGURE 4 illustrates a typical elevator car door controlled by the mechanism of this invention.

The door control mechanism of the present invention is designed and constructed for use in an elevator dispatching and control system of the type described in assignees US. Patent 2,854,096 mentioned above. Reference may be had to that patent for a complete description of the overall system. In the instant application elements corresponding to similar elements in Patent 2,854,096 bear corresponding identification letters or numerals and as in that patent the condition of a contact shown in the drawings of the instant application, i.e. whether the contact is open or closed, is the condition of the contact with its controlling relay not energized or dropped out. For the sake of simplicity and completeness the identification in FIGURES 1 through 3 of the various power supplies, relays, contacts and circuit elements are summarized as follows:

L1, L2--Individual elevator incoming power bus 300, 301-Individual elevator signal supply bus L10, L20Individual elevator lighting supply 111, 112-D.C. supply 3 L+, LIndividual elevator exciter voltage bus CDOACapacitor CTOT-Capacitor DO-Door open signal DOA--Disconnect safety edge DOXDoor open button, safety edge and photoelectric relay indicator DE-Prevents door closure (door operator master pilot relay) DZDoor zone E--Exciter voltage EEPhotoelectric door control (photobeam relay) KIr1termediate speed MG-Manual motor-generator switch indication NU-Next up signal ODoor operator opening power relay OTPotentiometer change (oscillating time) PMotor and generator fields and brake potentional RA-Car running RDOA 13-Resistors RTOT 12Resistors SDA-Signal for down direction SHDoor operator shutting power SRDOA-Rectifier SUASignal for up direction TD-Door timer TOTCondenser timed relay (timing for oscillating time) FIGURE 4 shows a typical automatic elevator door arrangement in which the control mechanism of this invention may be incorporated. The drawing shows an elevator car 60 having an entranceway 62 through which passengers enter and leave the car. The entranceway is adapted to be closed by a conventional double track sliding elevator door 64 having the conventional safety edge 66. While only a single door is illustrated the present invention is equally applicable to systems provided with double doors where one or both doors is provided with a safety edge such as 66.

Attached to the car 60 are a pair of posts 68 and 70 which mount photoelectric devices 72 and 74. For example, device 72 may generate an infra red (or visible) light beam 76 traversing the entranceway and impinging on photocell 74. Interruption of the beam actuates a beam responsive switch to open the door-64 in a well known manner. Electrical leads 78 and 80 supply suitable electrical energy from a source to the devices 72 and 74. While only a single light beam is illustrated, additional beams may be provided if desired.

Referring to FIGURES l3 of the drawings, the novel control system of the present invention comprises a motor-generator starting circuit 12 in FIGURE 1 connected across individual elevator incoming power bus lines L1 and L2 by Way of overload circuit breakers 14 and 16. The starting circuit is connected in turn by individual elevator exciter voltage buses labeled L+ and L- to the power control circuits 18, including exciter voltage relay E, motor and generator fields and brake potential relay P, car running relay RA, and intermediate speed relay K.

manual motor-generator switch in FIGURE 1 to individual elevator signal supply buses 300 and 301. Across the latter is connected an automatic dispatching and selection circuit 22 including a next up signalrelay NU and an up and down signal direction relay circuit 24 including a signal for up direction relay UA and a signal for down direction relay SDA.

cuits 26, door open signal relay DO and a door open afety; edge, and photoelectric indication relay ected in series with relay DOX is a manual button or switch 28, photoelectric door conrelay) contacts ,EE, and safety edge bus, the relay DO X may be picked up Power buses L1 and L2 are connected through a' so included in this circuit are car and hall stopping by the closure of either the door open button 28, contacts EE, or .the safety edge contacts 30. Also connected across individual elevator signal supply buses 300 and 301 is a door zone relay DZ, a door operator master pilot relay DE, a door operator opening power relay 0, and a door operator shutting power relay SH. The door open limit contacts are illustrated at 32 and the door close contacts are illustrated at 34.

FIGURE 2 shows a portion of the DC. power circuits and illustrates the door operator opening power circuits 36 and the door operator shut power circuits 38 connected across the DC. supply terminals 111 and 112. Also connected across these terminals is a condenser timed relay TOT in series with a first timing resistor RTOTl. Connected across the relay TOT is a capacitor CTOT in series with a second timing resistor RTOT2.

In FIGURE 3, anelectronic timer TD is illustratedas connected by overload circuit breakers 40 and 42 to the individual elevator lighting supply terminals L10 and L20. These supply power to the terminals 0 and 117 of the electronic timer. A normal door time potentiometer circuit 44 is connected in parallel with an oscillate time potentiometer 46 across terminals 3 and 4 of the electronic timer TD. Oscillate time potentiometer 46 offers a much smaller resistance than normal door potentiometer 44 so that the closure time when potentiometer 46 is effective is much shorter. Door'open signal contacts DO, photo beam relay contacts EE and car running relay contacts RA, are connected in series across terminals 1 and 2 of the electronic timer.

A manually operated photobeam cutout switch 48 is connected across lines L10 and L20 in series with a photo .unit amplifier 50 and a photo beam relay EE. Also connected across these lines is a potentiometer change relay OT.

Also connected across the lighting supply is a disconnect safety edge relay DOA in series with a rectifier diode SRDOA. Relay DOA is in series with a timing resistor RDOAZ and in parallel with a variable timing resistor RDOAl. A third timing resistor RDOA3 and a timing capacitor CDOA are connected across the relay and series resistor RDOAZ.

As discussed above, it has been found that passengers sometimes stand in the Way of doors preventing them from closing and thereby slowing up service. Consequently, it is desirable to automatically cut off the photoelectric eye a predetermined length of time after the car has received a signal to start so that the doors may close. This is also desirable if the doors are standing open due to misalignment of the light source, or due to momentary interruption of the beam by smoke. However, rather than forcibly push an object which may be a person out of the way, the present invention imparts an oscillating movement to the door which tends more to irritate the person so that he will move out of the way, rather than forcibly removing him which conceivably can result in injury. If the safety edge should strike a passenger while the doors are closing after the photoelectric eye has been cut 01f, the door or doors as the case may be, will reopen only a few inches and then begin to reclose until they again strike the object or person. This action is repeated each time the safety edge strikes the object to produce what might be called an oscillating action of the door. It is apparent that so long as the object or person remains in the path of the door, the door will not close beyond the point at which it engages the object. The safety edge is disconnected when the doors receive a signal to reopen and remains disconnected for a fraction of a second after the doors start to shut, so that a passenger cannot force the doors to reopen fully by holding his hand against the safety edge. This oscillatory action will irritate and hence discourage passengers from standing in the way of doors, but still provides adequate protection from injury.

Thi op ration is accomplished in the following manner: Condenser timed relay TOT (FIG. 2) is used to cut oif photo beam relay EE (FIG. 3). When the car has no signal direction indication, relays SUA and SDA (FIG. 1) are dropped out and relay TOT (FIG. 2) is picked up. If a call is registered above the car, relay SUA will pick up and TOT will drop after a predetermined length of time, providing the doors do not close and the car start causing relay RA (FIG. 1) to pick up and again apply voltage to TOT. If the car makes a stop at a floor with signal direction indication SUA or SDA picked up, relay TOT will begin timing when the car stops at the floor and relay RA drops out.

If a passenger is standing in the Way of the doors, thereby breaking the photo beam, relay EE (FIG. 3) will be picked up. Relay EE will pick up DOX (FIG. 1). Relay DOX will pick up DO (FIG. 1), which seals in. Relay D will pick up DE (FIG. 1.) Relay DE will energize relay 0 (FIG. 1). Relay O will energize the door operator opening power circuits (FIG. 2). When the doors are fully open, the door open limit (FIG. 1) will open and deenergize relay 0. The door shut relay SH (FIG. 1) cannot be energized because relay DE is picked up.

When relay TOT drops out, it disconnects photo beam relay EE (FIG. 3) and picks up relay OT (FIG. 3). Relay OT disconnects the normal door time potentiometers and connects to oscillate time potentiometer 46 (FIG. 3). A contact of OT in the DOA relay circuit (FIG. 3) will also close.

If, after the doors time out and close, the safety edge should strike a passenger, the safety edge contact Will close and cause relay DOX (FIG. 1) to pick up. Relay contact DOX Will pick up door open signal relay D0 which seals in. Relay contact D0 will pick up relay DOA (FIG. 3), disconnecting the safety edge contact. Another contact of D0 will pick up DE (FIG. 1) which will pick up 0 (FIG. 2) and apply door operator opening power (FIG. 2). Still another contact of D0 will close in the initiating circuit of timer TD (FIG. 3). The oscillate time potentiometer is set for a short timing interval, so that TD (FIG. 3) is energized a short time after D0 is energized. Relay contact TD drops out DO (FIG. 1) and relay contact DO drops out DE, allowing SH to pick up and apply door shut power (FIG. 2). Another contact of DO deenergizes relay DOA, which drops after a slight time delay and re-connects the safety edge to relay DOX (FIG. 1). If the safety edge again strikes a passenger as the doors close, this oscillatory action is repeated.

It is apparent from the above that the present invention provides a novel door control mechanism which increases the speed of door closing and hence dispatch of automatic devices such as elevators but at the same time includes an improved provision acting to more adequately safeguard against injury. The door control device of this invention does not forcibly remove or nudge an object from its path but rather oscillates, that is repeatedly moves into engagement with and then backs off from an object so as to produce What might be described more in the nature of an irritation action rather than a forcible removal. The result is that a person standing in the doorway is irritated into removing himself from the path of the door so as to avoid any possibility of the person being actually squeezed by the door or doors of the elevator and hence seriously injured.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An elevator door control mechanism comprising sensing means responsive to contact with an object in the path of the closing door to initiate a reopening of the door, means to initiate the reclosure of the door after only a partial reopening, and means to render the sensing means inoperative from the time the door has begun to reopen until after it has started to reclose, and then to again render the sensing means operative.

2. A protective control mechanism for an elevator door having a safety edge for sensing obstructions in the path of the closing door, comprising means responsive to engagement of the safety edge with an object in the path of the moving door to cause the door to reverse direction and begin to reopen, means to initiate the reclosure of the door after only a partial reopening, and means to render the safety edge responsive means in operative from the time the door has begun to reopen until after it has started to reclose, and then to again render the same operative.

3. A protective control mechanism for an elevator door having a safety edge and a radiant energy beam both effective to cause reopening of a closing elevator door when an obstruction is encountered, comprising a relay for disabling the beam a predetermined time after a call has been registered for the elevator car, means responsive to contact of the safety edge with an object in the path of the closing door to initiate a reopening of the door, timing means to initiate the reclosure of the door after only a partial reopening, and means responsive to the initiation of the reopening of the door for rendering the safety edge inoperative from the time the door has begun to reopen until after it has started to reclose, and then to again render the same operative.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein the last named means comprises a time delayed relay.

5. A protective control mechanism for an elevator door comprising a safety edge switch and a radiant energy beam switch, door opening and closing relays for the elevator door, means coupling the switches to the door opening relay during a predetermined period of time whereby actuation of either of the switches causes operation of the door opening relay to fully open the elevator door, time delayed relay for disconnecting the radiant energy beam switch from the door opening relay after the predetermined time has elapsed, and for coupling the safety edge switch to a timer having a relatively shorttiming period, the timer being operative in response to the safety edge encountering an obstruction in the path of closing door, means responsive to the operation of the timer to operate the door opening relay and to activate the door closing relay after the operation of the timer, and further means responsive to the operation of the timer to render the safety edge inoperative from the time the door has begun to reopen until after it has started to reclose, and then to again render the safety edge operative.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said last named means responsive to operation of said timer comprises an additional time delayed relay.

7. A mechanism according to claim 6 wherein said timer is also provided with a relatively long timing period operative to effect normal closure of the elevator door. i

8. A mechanism according to claim 7 wherein said time delayed relays are provided with variable time constant R-C circuits.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,050,154 8/1962 Burns 18752 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner. H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELEVATOR DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM COMPRISING SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT IN THE PATH OF THE CLOSING DOOR TO INITIATE A REOPENING OF THE DOOR, MEANS TO INITIATE THE RECLOSURE OF THE DOOR AFTER ONLY A PARTIAL REOPENING, AND MEANS TO RENDER THE SENSING MEANS INOPERATIVE FROM THE TIME THE DOOR HAS BEGUN TO REOPEN UNTIL AFTER IT HAS STARTED TO RECLOSE, AND THEN TO AGAIN RENDER THE SENSING MEANS OPERATIVE. 